Confide
by unfoldingbliss
Summary: She had to remind herself Kaldur was not in his right mind. That his gaze, as strong and delicate and affectionate as it seemed, was fostered by his assumption that she was his only ally, his only confidante left in the unbridled chaos. [Seaarrow]


Artemis couldn't be there 24/7. There was still preparations to make, deadlines to meet, and the weary condition of Psimon that she had to constantly patrol. She had yet to tell M'gaan of the incident, but she would give her a few more days to adjust to the situation. They would have to be discreet about it and ensure all precautions were taken before invading Psimon's mind, erasing his memories and replacing them with facades.

Yet, it seemed to be worth it. Having her friend back was a godsend. She hadn't realized how much she missed M'gaan; the gentle, compassionate disposition that helped her through some of her more…unpleasant setbacks had always been welcomed. While they couldn't sit down and laugh over a good piece of chocolate cake and ginseng tea, the occasional pleasant conversation or story about The Team and their misguided exploits was more than enough.

Today, however, Artemis was on "Martian Witch" duty for a scheduled twelve hours that might become sixteen if Miss M made substantial progress. Strict, vengeful, and on the wrong side of the war, Black Manta was still ever cordial, meeting M'gaan's need for sleep and food whenever she asked for it. He might wish her a painful death, but he wished for Kaldur's good health far much more.

If he only knew how involved Tigress was in the process.

_Are you hungry yet? _Artemis asked, assisting M'gaan with adjusting one of the pillars of a typical Atlantean home, _I could get Deathstroke to send us down some of that cheddar potato soup they were cooking a few hours ago. There should be some left._

_Maybe in another hour or so, _M'gaan replied. _We're finally getting into more fine-tuned memories and I would like for Black Manta and Kaldur to have more than a two word conversation. If I get past this wall, it'll be easier for Kaldur to help us out. _

_You're right, but I'm really no use to you right now, _Artemis almost sighed, a slow stirring hunger clawing at her stomach. M'gaan sometimes forgot the differences between human and martian metabolisms…_I'll give you another hour to crack this code. I'll keep Kaldur company in the meantime. _

M'gaan nodded and continued to focus her concentration on the sorcerer's academy, the place they believed was the source of Kaldur's most treasured memories. At first, they had suspected his childhood home or the downtown grotto, but both only helped with Kaldur's basic speech and hearing capabilities, along with basic background memories. Important, yes. However, neither helped them pick up the pace. And they did have an alien Invasion to dismantle.

Turning away from M'gaan's work, Artemis swam past a mix of marble ruins and repairs and towards Kaldur's usual resting area, a small cave near a field of assorted coral on the imagined Atlantis' outskirts. While his assistance helped the recovery process by tenfold, it drained him in ways that neither M'gaan and Artemis were affected. It was _his_ mind after all and experiencing memories firsthand again, recalling the faces of his mother and friends as vividly as they came before seemed to be rather stressful. Artemis was sure she would never want to experience the same.

"Kaldur?" she called out from outside the cave, hoping he might have it in him to reply back. Despite their progress, he'd been rather quiet as of late, replying with the nod or shake of his head, only speaking when it was too important to keep silent. She could only hope that he wasn't regressing and made a note to talk to M'gaan about it later.

When a reply didn't come, Artemis sighed and entered the cave. It was brightly illuminated, blues and purples bouncing off the walls. She figured the colors and shapes calmed Kaldur; so it was no surprise to her that the Atlantean was stretched out on the floor, staring at the ceiling in curious fascination. She cautiously advanced, doing her best to come off as a friendly presence.

Alerted of her appearance, Kaldur sat up and directed his attention to his friend. His stare was soft but unyielding and Artemis bit her lip. She had to remind herself Kaldur was not in his right mind. That his gaze, as strong and delicate and affectionate as it seemed, was fostered by his assumption that she was his only ally, his only confidant left in the unbridled chaos. No matter how much it reminded her of ways Wally looked at her or how Conner once looked at M'gaan, she knew Kaldur harbored no feelings for her, despite Black Manta's false assumptions on such a premise.

Still unnerving as hell to see on your friend of five years.

"What'cha up to?" Artemis asked, her anxiety untraceable in her tone. Not like Kaldur could tell anyway. "You've been in here for awhile. Would you like to explore some of the repaired zones together?"

Kaldur merely shook his head, his stare unfazed.

"Well then," Artemis cleared her throat, "Mind if I join you? M'gaan thinks she might make a big breakthrough today and…I don't want you to be alone if it causes some disruptions."

He nodded his head, motioning for her to sit beside him. Artemis moved forward and sat beside him, giving him a small smile as he leaned in closer and pressed his head against her shoulder. It was odd to see Kaldur be like this, particularly around her. Out of all the original members of the team, he was the most conservative when it came to touching. The few times he made physical contact with a teammate was either due to celebration of a birthday or an anniversary or helping out with an injury. In fact, she couldn't even recall the last time he hugged her…

"Artemis…" his voice spread across her skin and Artemis had to remind herself that the shivers enveloping her bones were not real, "I have…something I…I…"

Kaldur struggled with his words, as painfully clumsy as a three year old toddler. Artemis tried to reassure him, intertwining her fingers with his own, "It's okay, Kaldur. You can talk to me. Take your time."

Her friend took a deep breath at her words and pressed on, "Need to tell…you…secrets…."

Artemis resisted the urge to laugh, "Secrets? Kaldur, _please_. I know everything about you! You have nothing to hide from me.

Kaldur looked up and she was surprised by the pain laced across his face, "Secrets, Artemis. Secrets…you…you never…you never - "

His eyes closed and he choked back a scream, falling into Artemis's lap while clutching his head with one arm. Artemis panicked, feverishly stroking Kaldur's head in a feeble attempt to calm him down.

_M'gaan! What's happening? _Artemis questioned the martian.

_I just finished sprucing up the academy's training facilities,_ M'gaan answered, her voice wavering from possible mental exhaustion._ I figured that might be the place where a lot of his team memories were stored. _  
_It's going to take a few more minutes to stabilize, so just keep him calm until then. I can't do much more after this. _

_Yeah, sure,_ Artemis said as she turned her attention back to Kaldur, tightening her hold on his hand, "Everything is going to be okay, Kaldur. You're getting better. This is what you want. What _we_ all want. You'll be back to yourself again. The strong, compassionate, wonderful Kaldur that I know and love. You can do this Kaldur. Hang in there, I know you can."

Through her words, his shaking receded and he curled up into her arms, his head nestled close into the curves of her shoulders. They stood like that for some time, the welcomed silence lulling them both to a state of almost slumber. There was no talk of secrets, of fears that might have hindered their progress in the long run. Artemis was sure (_so very sure_) that Kaldur had nothing to hide from her. If any two people could understand the other more, it was she and the one bundled in her arms.

"Artemis?" M'gaan's voice from behind snapped Artemis out of her peaceful doze. She turned around to see her friend a few feet away, her eyes tired and her body slouched. "You think he'll be okay for a few hours?"

"He should be," Artemis nodded. She turned her attention back to Kaldur and whispered softly, "We're going to get some food now. We'll grab you some and see if you can eat on your own. Won't be that nice?"

Kaldur stirred, glancing up and taking in Artemis once more. He gave her the same look as before, a small, tender smile accompanying it this time around, "Yes…it will."

Artemis kept her emotions steady as she unraveled herself from Kaldur's hold and stood up. He continued to sit, watching as she made her way to M'gaan.

"We'll be back," M'gaan smiled and waved, "Bye, Kaldur!"

"Yeah, see ya," were Artemis's final words as they exited the cave and left him to his bouncing colors and prancing shapes.

_So, you guys talk about anything?_ M'gaan asked as their psyches floated back to Kaldur's room.

_Nothing much_, Artemis replied, making her way out the room out of the and towards the dining hall alone. _Except he kept going on about secrets. Don't know what that's about. _

_Oh.._.M'gaan trailed, _Maybe he was just confused about the mission or something like that._ _Don't put too much thought into it. _

_Alright, if you say so,_ Artemis shrugged and with that, their conversation ceased.

With the mind link off, M'gaan turned her attention to Kaldur, his eyes closed and body relaxed. It was hard not to shrivel up and cry, to take his hand and offer any small piece of comfort she could. Kaldur had had to deal with so much in the last several months. Tula's death, Garth's resignation, the identity of his father, risking his life for a mission that might prove futile, that could have ended his life had she been any more careless…

But what seemed to be the most difficult matter for Kaldur control, for Kaldur to come to terms with, was his budding romantic feelings for Artemis. His only ally, his only confidant in this mess…it twisted him up. All the memories had played out to her like a movie just minutes ago: of his struggle to suppress his yearning for someone who would never be his, who he knew was far out of his reach. He had lost that battle with Tula and now, only months after her death, he felt so disgusted, so vile for doing it again.

It was his last secret and it was hidden from the one person he swore a month ago to hold no secrets from.

M'gaan lowered her head, wiping at the tears pooling over her eyes. At least one good thing would come out of her capture.

If Kaldur ever needed someone to confide in, she'd be there.

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I hate myself sometimes for writing so much angst about my favorite characters I swear…


End file.
